NUBE-MCBA dispute: Ramanan's appeal to continue for court ruling on legal issues, says ministry

PUTRAJAYA: The continuation of Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan's appeal in the dispute between the National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) and the Malaysian Commercial Banks' Association (MCBA) is aimed at obtaining a Court of Appeal ruling on legal issues arising from the High Court's decision, the ministry said today.

In a statement, the Human Resources Ministry said the continuation of the appeal did not mean the ministry was closing the door to an amicable settlement through negotiations between the two parties.

"The human resources minister did not apply for a stay of execution of the High Court's decision, while the Department of Industrial Relations Malaysia had taken proactive steps by summoning the parties involved to resume conciliation proceedings.

"However, MCBA exercised its right to apply for a stay of execution of the High Court's decision, and the application was granted by the Court," the ministry said.

The statement added that the stay order had prevented negotiations on the collective agreement from proceeding for as long as the order remained in force.

In this regard, the ministry clarified that Ramanan's withdrawal of the appeal would not automatically allow negotiations between NUBE and MCBA to resume, as the stay order obtained by MCBA remained in force.

The media had previously reported that the dispute between MCBA and NUBE involved the payment of festive assistance and the 20th Collective Agreement.

On Feb 13, the High Court allowed NUBE's application for judicial review, quashed two references made by the human resources minister to the Industrial Court and directed both parties to resume negotiations.

However, on Sept 26, the High Court allowed MCBA's application to stay the execution of the decision pending the association's appeal at the Court of Appeal. — BERNAMA